It was good.

“Or maybe she just doesn’t have time for a commitment because she’s on tour all the time. You know how it is, there’s got to be a new guy in every city.”

Now his cheeks redden, and I know I’ve hit a sore spot.

“Cut him some slack,” Jace says. “He doesn’t want to talk about it.”

I ignore Jace, still focused on Levi. “You know, you’re my favorite.” I lay my hand on his shoulder and pat it. “And I’m your friend. You can talk it out.”

“I’m not your favorite,” he scoffs.

“Always have been,” I swear, holding up my two fingers again, but he just shakes his head and drains his mug, then stands.

“See you later, man.”

“You know you want to tell me!” I yell after him, but he just waves and leaves. “Well, that wasn’t helpful.”

“You know, I never used to be jealous of the way you flirt with my brother,” Jace says, catching my attention.

“I don’t flirt with him.”

“You always have, Joy.”

I scowl and stare at him, blinking slowly. “No, I’m just friendly, and I try to draw him out of his stoic shell. He’s always so serious.”

“It’s okay,” he says with a pretend sigh. “I’ll just have to get used to the flirting, I guess.”

“I don’t flirt with him, you jackass.”

He laughs and drinks my coffee.

“Hey! That’s mine.”

“That’s what you get for flirting with my brother.”

“I’m going to—”

“What?” he asks, his whole face lit up with humor. “What are you going to do, Joyful?”

He hasn’t called me that since college. I hated it then, too.

“I broke you of saying that.”

“Broke me?”

“Yes. I trained you to not call me that.”

He shakes his head. “Well, Joyful, it looks like I’ve been untrained.”

“No more blowjobs in the car for you, my friend.”

He stops short, staring at me. “That’s just cruel.”

“You get what you give.” I shrug and give him a look that says “I don’t make the rules.”

“Now, I should take a shower and get this hangover washed off of me. I have to pick Angela up from the clinic today and take her and the puppies home. What have I done? I don’t have time for puppies.”

“I’ll help,” he says as he follows me back to the bedroom. “And we have babysitters for when we need them.”

“I need a puppy nanny,” I mutter as I whip my sweatshirt over my head and toss it on the bed. “And a lobotomy, because I’m clearly crazy.”

“No lobotomy,” Jace says as he wraps his arms around me from behind, palming my breasts. “Can I take a shower with you?”

“Do you promise to be good?”

“Not a fucking chance.”

“Okay, then.”

~Joy~

“This is the best day ever,” Noel says as we walk into Neiman’s. She looks like a kid on Christmas morning.

I look like I’m headed to the guillotine for a crime I didn’t commit.

“This is hell on Earth,” I mutter as I trudge behind her, barely looking at the clothes on the racks. “Maybe I should just wear a dress that I already have.”

“No, you said yourself, he’s seen all of those multiple times. This is a real date, and it should be something nice. Sexy. Alluring.”

I roll my eyes behind my sister’s back. “That’s a little dramatic. I really just don’t want to suck.”

“You’re going to take his breath away,” she promises me as she leads me into the evening gown section, and we comb through rack after rack of sparkles, silk, and satin in all colors of the rainbow. Within three minutes, I’m completely overwhelmed.

Noel has four dresses draped over her arm and hurries to find a sales girl.

“We need a dressing room, please.”

“Of course. I’m Claire, and I can help with anything you need.”

I want to apologize to Claire ahead of time for my sister’s over-exuberance and my lack of interest, but I keep my mouth shut and follow the woman into a dressing room.

“Do you need any help?” she asks me.

“No, thanks.” Getting in and out of a formal gown is old hat to me after years of attending functions with Jace.

I strip out of my sundress, already prepared by wearing a strapless bra, and reach for the first gown.

It’s black and has a tapered hem, starting mid-thigh in the front and skimming my heels in the back.

It also makes my boobs look nonexistent.

“You have to show me every one,” Noel calls through the door.

“Even if it sucks?”

“Yes. I have to know how it sucks so I can find you something that doesn’t suck.”

I open the door, and Noel covers her mouth with her hand, her eyes going wide as she cringes.

“Yeah, that’s not you.”

“Not unless I’m a twelve-year-old boy who loves to dress in drag.”

She giggles and flips her hand at me, gesturing me back into the room. “Next.”

I can’t get out of the black number fast enough and change into a red dress that rests on one shoulder with a giant rose. Aside from the ugly rose, it’s not bad. It hugs my curves in all the right places.

When I open the door, Noel nods, tapping her lips with her finger. “I like it.”

“This rose is gaudy.”

She nods again. “I agree, but the fit of the dress is great. Is it comfortable?”

“Are these dresses ever comfortable?”

“Good point. Try the blush-colored one. I think it might be a winner.”

I do as she asks and shimmy into the light pink dress. It’s sleeveless but has straps on my shoulders, and a V-cut that dips down past my cleavage. I have to strip out of my bra altogether.

When I walk out of the room, Noel gasps and her eyes fill with tears.

“If Jace reacts like that, this will all be worth it.”

“Joy,” she breathes. “That dress was made for you. The color is stunning, and the way it dips between your breasts? Jesus, I wish I had boobs like you.”

“And I wish I had breasts like you,” I reply with a wry grin. Noel’s curves are kicking. “But I agree. I love this one. I think I’ll need some dress tape to keep it in place around my boobs, but otherwise, it’s great. Wait, how much is it?”

She rolls her eyes. “You can afford it, no matter how much it is.”

“That doesn’t mean I’m not concerned with how much it costs.”

She just shakes her head and shoos me back into the room. “It doesn’t matter, it’s yours. Go change so we can go to the shoe department.”

I walk into the room and unzip the dress. “I already have shoes,” I call out to her.

“Not for that dress.”

“Black heels go with everything.”

“No,” she says, her voice hard. “They don’t. They definitely don’t go with that dress. You need nude heels, and I know there are some Jimmy Choos downstairs that will be divine.”

“Who the hell is Jimmy Choo?” I mutter to myself as I slip my sundress back over my head and check the price of the gown, almost swallowing my tongue when I see the tag.

“Noel!”

“What? What’s wrong?”

“This dress is two thousand dollars.”

“Oh, good, so it’s not too bad.”

I stomp out of the fitting room and stare at my sister in horror. “Not too bad? It’s almost the same as my mortgage payment, Noel.”

She doesn’t even bat an eye. “I will not have you going on this date in anything less than something amazing. You can afford this dress, and it’s gorgeous. Jace is going to fight a hard-on all night.”

Okay, so the thought of that makes me happy. Ridiculously happy. I used to want to look nice for Jace because I didn’t want to embarrass him in front of his important colleagues.